English National Ballet has announced the winners of its Emerging Dancer 2026 awards, recognising rising artists within the company across artistic distinction, technical excellence, versatility and audience choice.
Jakob Wheway Hughes was the evening’s major winner, receiving both the Artistic Distinction Award and the Audience Choice Award, which was voted for by the audience on the night. The Technical Excellence Award was presented to Australian dancer Zai Calliste, while Yihan Qin received the Versatility Award. Anna Ciriano was awarded this year’s Corps de Ballet Award.
Calliste began dancing at the age of six, training at Ann Roberts School of Dance in Townsville and Annette Roselli Dance Academy in Brisbane, before completing his training at English National Ballet School from 2022 to 2025. He joined English National Ballet in 2025 as an Artist of the Company.
The six Emerging Dancer 2026 participants were Calliste, Thalina Chapin, Yihan Qin, Anri Sugiura, Sacha Venkatasawmy and Hughes. They performed classical pas de deux alongside contemporary solos choreographed by English National Ballet company dancers.
The evening also included three new works developed through Studio Sessions, English National Ballet’s platform for supporting choreographic talent within the company.
English National Ballet Artistic Director Aaron S. Watkin said, “Emerging Dancer is about giving artists the opportunity to challenge themselves, gain confidence and share their individuality on stage. It was especially exciting to see not only the exceptional talent on display this year, but also the spirit of collaboration and support across the whole company.”
The judging panel included former La Scala Theatre Ballet Artistic Director Manuel Legris, choreographer and former Strictly Come Dancing judge Dame Arlene Phillips, dancer and advocate Cira Robinson, Watkin, and members of English National Ballet’s artistic team.
A recording of the event will be available to watch for free on English National Ballet’s YouTube channel from Thursday 4 June.